TULSA, Okla. — Stephen Boling was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in 2021. He underwent treatment for eight months before doctors told him he fought his way into remission.
When he returned from treatment, Boling learned he had been referred to Make-A-Wish. With a lifelong passion for all things automotive, his mind was quickly made up on what to spend his wish on.
"There were a lot of different things I was thinking about, but really my truck, because it holds a special place in my heart," said Boling. "It was the first truck I got on my own, so I wanted to commemorate that."
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His passion for cars began at a young age, stemming from his late grandfather who was also very interested in vehicles of all kinds.
Boling's 2019 Ram 2500 came to the Don Thornton Certified Collision Center in fairly good condition, as he prides himself on taking good care of his truck. Aside from hail damage repairs, his wish revolved around upgrades to give his vehicle a facelift.
The manager of the Collision Center, James Adams, said this was a humbling experience for him and his team.
"Make-a-Wish came to us and said 'hey can you help us' and we said 'yes absolutely, this is what we do,'" said Adams. "To do something like this for a kid that is in need. It was a great honor for us to do."
Easily over 25 people worked on Boling's truck across multiple different vendors to bring this wish to life, Adams said. From adding a leather interior to a new stereo system, light fixtures on the exterior and dent repairs, Boling said it was better than he could have imagined.
In total, the renovation project took The Collision Center a little over two and a half months.
Boling said he was very nervous, but his truck turned out better than he could have ever imagined.
"I've never had anything this big happen to me, and it's something I'm never going to forget," said Boling. "Oh, I love it. That thing is amazing, it's better than I thought."
In commemoration of his fight with cancer, Boling also asked for detailing on the front and back of his truck in the color orange - the color to raise awareness for Leukemia.
"I’m very thankful for everybody who came together for it, to help me make it the best truck I can have it means a lot to me," said Boling. "To have people like that care about me, they don’t even know who I am, it means a lot."
Boling has been in remission for three years and has two more until he can be designated cancer-free. He said his doctors are optimistic that he will stay in remission, and make it to the next milestone of his cancer journey.
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